Firebirds Rising: An Anthology Of Original Science Fiction And Fantasy (2006) - Plot & Excerpts
"Firebirds Rising: An Anthology of Original Science Fiction and Fantasy" is an engaging mix of SF and Fantasy stories aimed at a young adult audience, though quite enjoyable for adults as well. This collection as a whole is definitely worth reading, and many of the stories deserves rereading as well. At the same time, there were a few stories that just weren't that impressive.Tamora Pierce's "Huntress"- One of those stories that just didn't impress me, but I do love Greek mythology, so the references sat well with me, but I really didn't understand the characters' motivations. Nina Kiriki Hoffman's "Unwrapping"- For me, it wasn't exactly memorable, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. It had an interesting premise and I liked the imagery. Alison Goodman's "The Real Thing"- A sci-fi story exploring a future where genetic enhancement is prevalent, and the prejudice between those who are 'comp' made and those whose parents let nature take its course. The story is taken from a novel by the author, so it does feel a bit like a chapter out of a larger novel. Charles de Lint's "Little (Grrl) Lost"- I love the title. However, I'm not really a big fan of stories about little people, so I didn't enjoy it as much as I could have. Diana Wynne Jones's "I'll Give You My Word"- I loved this story. The character of Jeremy is just so unique and lovable, and the story is interesting, quirky, and somewhat humorous. Ellen Klages "In the House of the Seven Librarians"- This is one of my favorite stories in the book. Definitely worth the price of the book alone! This story is about a young girl named Dinsy who is raised by seven 'feral librarians' in an old library building. This book is a paean to old libraries and classics of literature. Any lover of books and reading will be thrilled to read this. For those of us who remember the old-style libraries with card catalogs, it is a veritable love song. For all book lovers, it's a treasure to love and cherish. Sharon Shinn's "Wintermoon Wish"- This would make a great Christmastime story. Unfortunately, it doesn't have quite the same effect when you read it in the summer. It's got a nice moral though. Kelly Link's "The Wizards of Perfil"- I didn't like this one much at all, mostly because I found Onion very bland and, and didn't really understand the premise of magic in the setting until close to the end. Patricia A. McKillip's "Jack O'Lantern"- About a girl struggling with her parents' conventional views of the role of women, particularly upper class women, as her older sister prepares to be married. I just wish that the protagonist had been somewhat stronger and more resistant to the world around her. Carol Emshwiller's "Quill"- A story where an alien girl was abducted by her father so he can rape and impregnate her just sickened me. I don't care if the circumstances was that of propagating a dying race/breed. Francesca Lia Block's "Blood Roses"- It's a bit confusing, and I feel one needs to read it at least one more time to get it completely. Kara Dalkey's "Hives"- A science fiction story about a future where technology can telepathically link minds, and teen girls use this to keep themselves in constant contact with their groups of friends, or 'hives'. But what happens when the girls get 'cut' from the network of their hive? Why does the sudden silence in their minds cause them to kill themselves? This story takes a science fiction approach to the importance of female friendships, and how necessary and addictive they can become.Alan Dean Foster's "Perception"- This story is pretty simple in which a point stated at the end makes sense. Tanith Lee's "The House on the Planet"- Explores three young women living in the same house over 100 years' time on a colonized alien planet in the future. The first story captivated me but I just found the rest of it to be utterly boring.Pamela Dean's "Cousins"- Not crazy about this one. The main character is likeable enough, but the story was just too long for my liking. I might have liked it better if it was shorter. Emma Bull's "What Used to Be Good Still Is"- The story of a young man in a mining town in Arizona in the 1930s, and his love for a Mexican-American girl, who loves him but loves something else even more.Fantasy stories outnumber sci-fi two to one, and the great majority of the tales feature female protagonists. Even those with male protagonists deal with themes of friendship, family, love, and loss more than action and adventure.Book Details: Title Firebirds Rising: An Anthology of Original Science Fiction and FantasyAuthor Sharyn NovemberReviewed By Purplycookie
This is going to be a bit of a cheat review because I’ve acknowledged to myself that the only reason I checked out this anthology was to read the Joss and Mavkel story The Real Thing by Alison Goodman. I may choose to keep renewing this thing like a jerk so I can keep it and read the Kelly Link or Tamora Pierce stories, but for now I feel perfectly comfortable giving this anthology four stars based solely on the The Real Thing alone.I love this story, but it’s bittersweet because it’s such a beautiful glimpse of everything that a Joss Aaronson series could have been. I’ve just visited Alison Goodman’s website and apparently she’s working on a “new series” so I have to assume that poor Joss has been set aside, at least temporarily if not forever. I think that Joss and Mavkel will be marked down in the imaginary log where I keep track of these things as one of my favorite human/alien teams of all time. Joss is fierce, independent, and determined. She’s flawed in all of my favorite ways: she’s too blunt, too self-contained, and just a little bit damaged. Mavkel is a little bit damaged too: he’s desperate for the intense connection that he used to have with his now dead twin Kelmav. I thought that it was interesting that Singing the Dogstar Blues has no romance in it whatsoever. I found that refreshing and bold. Joss’ adventure really stood on its own without relying on any kind of hastily inserted love interest.However, this story gives us a thrilling glimpse into all of the complications and humor that arise when Joss finds herself going on a date with a young comp kid and Mavkel is highly curious about the whole affair. There is also more information here about the tension that’s building between the comp kids (genetically engineered to be superior, but only allowed into the academy in small percentages) and the naturally conceived students from wealthy families.Alas, all this story does for me is dramatically increase my desperation for another Joss and Mavkel adventure. Curse you for a horrible tease, Alison Goodman! Would it help if I begged? I’m not above begging here.Perfect Musical PairingSpoon – Don’t You EvahJoss, I will miss you terribly, but at least we’ll always have Spoon.
What do You think about Firebirds Rising: An Anthology Of Original Science Fiction And Fantasy (2006)?
Now THIS, I liked. It was much better than Firebirds, in my opinion. I usually don't care too much for scifi, but some of the scifi stories in here were really good (and on the same note, the stories I liked the least were also scifi). Probably my favorite was "I'll Give You My Word," by Diana Wynne Jones. It's hilarious, it's got tons of big words, and it's that wonderful blend of fantasy and modern life that she does so well. "Hives," by Tara Delkey, was probably my second favorite, because the narrator's voice was so strong. Those two stories, at the very least, are Highly Recommended. The book as a whole is Recommended.
—Aelvana
I'm a voracious reader of fantasy, and have recently made forays into the realm of science fiction, so i had high hopes picking this up, especially since i recognized several of the contributing authors.That said, it was okay. Some stories (such as Wintermoon Wish, and Hives) were really good (albeit maybe a little freaky). Some were no more than merely enjoyable, and some i didn't care for as much. Blood Roses was so confusing. I read it three times and still have no clue what's happening or what the point was. But the only story I sincerely hated was Huntress - the premise of which I found kind of disturbing, and the New Age goddess thing was weird - a major disappointment since i'm a Tamora Pierce fan. I'll probably be a little more careful about picking up fantasy anthologies in future, but this wasn't bad overall. Firebirds Rising was a mix of the good, the excellent, and the ugly.
—Kiersten
I originally bought this book because it had a story by Sharon Shinn and even better the story was a continuation of a book I love. So I thought I'd read this and hopefully find a few more authors that I'd fall in love with. Sadly this was not the case. The only story I really enjoyed was of course Wintermoon Wish lol. A few others I thought were very mildly interesting. But mostly the stories were either to short that I wasnt even really sure what was going on. Or too long that I felt for the abundance of pages the story wasn't about anything at all. I understand that these were short stories but had they been full length novels, I still think I would have been bored and probably wouldn't have finished them.
—Alayna Payton
